The REA has been developed to quickly identify salient environmental issues in disasters and improve the overall effectiveness of relief operations. In the past, environmental issues were not systematically considered in disaster relief planning and operations for lack of an appropriate assessment process. The REA now permits environmental considerations to be incorporated into disaster response at the community as well as organizational levels.

The REA, formalized into a Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters, has been field tested in Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Indonesia. In addition, a training module on the REA has been developed. Additional information on the project is available on the web at www.benfieldhrc.org/SiteRoot/disaster_studies/rea/rea_index.htm.

The presentation focused on the role of environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in emergency situations.